Gigi Fitzgerald, owner of Gigi’s Gourmet De-Lite, knows how to put her clients’ cravings on ice. But catching a slippery killer is more of a challenge

Gigi’s business may be hot, but her home life is leaving her cold. Her sister, Pia, has dropped in for an unannounced visit and, much to Gigi’s chagrin, has immediately fallen for handsome bar owner Declan McQuaid. So when Declan asks Gigi to help him prep for a big engagement party, she’s not only dealing with the heat of the kitchen and her own feelings for Declan, but Pia’s jealousy.

However, Gigi’s rising temperature quickly chills when the host of the party is found stabbed to death with an ice pick in back of the pub. Now, as Gigi’s beau, Detective Mertz, hones in on Declan as a possible murderer, Gigi will have to shave down the growing list of suspects quickly, before Pia’s newfound love interest finds himself locked in the cooler .

INCLUDES DELICIOUS—AND HEALTHY—RECIPES!

My Review

Gigi Fitzgerald is back in action in this latest entry of the “A Gourmet de-lite Mystery” series. When the sexy owner of Woodstone’s bar, Declan McQuaid, asks Gigi to assist him in a huge engagement party, she had no idea what she was getting into. It is bad enough that her sister, Pia, has fallen in love with Declan but Gigi was supposed to accompany her boyfriend, Detective Bill Mertz, to the party. Now, she has to cancel and he’s annoyed with her. However, Gigi can’t let a friend down and goes to help Declan anyway.

The party gets out of hand when the father of the groom-to-be gets nasty and his son stomps out of the party. The next thing they know, Gigi finds the father’s dead body in the bar’s parking lot. The prime suspect appears to be Declan. Pia begs her sister to help prove his innocence. Gigi agrees for the sake of her sister. Besides, Gigi thinks Declan is innocent anyway.

Gigi’s relationship to Mertz begins to heal, but he’s convinced of Declan’s guilty. It’s up to Gigi to show him he’s on the wrong track.

Peg Cochran brings us another delicious book in her culinary series. I read the 2nd and now 3rd book in the series and loved every minute of both books. I do have to go back and read the first one, but it’s such fun watching the character growth even between books two and three. Gigi, along with her West Highland white terrier Reg, are delightful and watching her romance bloom with Mertz is so sweet.

The author’s writing flows at a great pace through each page. The mystery was interesting and I enjoyed trying to figure out whodunit along with Gigi. The clues were all there and the resolution could have gone in a few other directions. I’m already looking forward to the next book in this series.

FTC Disclosure: The publisher provided me with a copy of this book to review for this blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

Author Guest Post

Cozy Cats and Dogs

By Peg Cochran

Many cozy mysteries are “pet themed” and most cozy mystery protagonists have pets—cats or dogs or both. I was already well into the first book in my Gourmet De-Lite series, Allergic to Death, when a dog in need of adoption suddenly appeared! Of course my protagonist, Gigi, couldn’t resist. I hadn’t planned it—it just happened. It also happened to be a Westhighland White Terrier or a “Westie.” Funny, because I happened to be “owned” by a Westie myself. What to name him? Hmmmm….how about Reg? Even funnier, because my dog is named Reg, too!

There are differences though—the Reg in the book is slimmer and better groomed than my Reg who needs to lose a few pounds and is currently in need of a haircut. But they both have that same spunky spirit Westies are famous for. According to the American Kennel Club, the Westie “is known for its friendly, strong-willed personality and a remarkably bright white coat. Said to be "all terrier," this breed possesses a large amount of spunk, determination and devotion stuffed into a compact little body.” Or, as my husband and I like to say, Reg is a big dog in a small dog’s body!

Reg keeps Gigi company and goes along with her on her errands whenever possible. He’s a bit of a bed hog, but she doesn’t mind. He has even saved the day once or twice! As a writer, I have to remember that he needs to be walked and fed at regular intervals, and I can’t have Gigi leave him in the car in really cold or really hot weather.

In Steamed to Death, the second book in the series, Detective Bill Mertz acquires a cat, Whiskers. Fortunately Whiskers and Reg get along just fine.

Who are your favorite cozy pets?

BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!!

How would you like to win a paperback copy of Iced to Death by Peg Cochran? Thanks to Berkley, I have one paperback to giveaway to one lucky winner.

Just a few simple rules...

1) You must fill out the rafflecopter form below.

2) Contest is open to anyone over 18 years old

3) US Residents Only

4) For an one extra entry: Tweet about this giveaway.

5) For an one extra entry: Leave a comment for the author.

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

The giveaway begins on March 9th (midnight est) and ends on March 16th (midnight est).

The winner will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter. The winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. I will announce the winner here on my blog.

I do not have any pets of my own but I do like reading cozy mysteries with pets. Think my first series, way back when, was Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who ... " series -- but that was before I knew some books were called 'cozies'.

I have both cats and dogs---and love all animals--so I enjoy the pets in cozies. I, too, started reading cozies with The Cat Who.. series and I still miss Koko and YumYum and their adventures.suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

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About Me

I'm married and live in New York with my husband and our beautiful cats. I love to read all genres. I'm continually adding to my TBR and reviewing is a hobby of mine. I'm also an avid TV and movie fan.

FTC Disclosure

I receive many free books from authors, publicists and publishers in exchange for honest reviews. I, also, may post my reviews on other sites such as Amazon, Goodreads, Shelfari, and Barnes & Noble for no additional compensation.